Casey Tibbs

All-Around • Inducted 1979

Casey Tibbs, who won a record six world saddle bronc riding titles, was the first cowboy to transcend the sport and become a household name. His personality and flamboyant style put him on the cover of Life Magazine, while his prowess in the ring made him the living symbol of the Western icon, a cowboy on a bucking horse, for a decade. At 14, Tibbs was breaking horses in his native South Dakota and learning the balance and lightning-fast reactions that made him one of the most graceful saddle bronc riders of all time. With a feather-light touch on the rein and perfect timing, he anticipated a bronc’s every move. He claimed a total of nine world titles, six in saddle bronc riding, one in bareback riding and two in the all-around. Tibbs served on every administrative board in the RCA during his era.  More than any other individual in rodeo, Tibbs brought national attention to rodeo as the original American sport. A statue of Tibbs, who died Jan. 28, 1990, stands outside the ProRodeo Hall of Fame.

World Championships: 9

All-Around: 1951, 1955

Saddle Bronc Riding: 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1959

Bareback Riding: 1951

Born: March 5, 1929 in Fort Pierre, South Dakota
Died: January 28, 1990 in Ramona, California

Buffalo Bill Rodeo / North Platte, NE
Bareback Riding: 1949 (tie), 1955
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1948, 1950, 1953

California Rodeo Salinas / Salinas, CA
Bareback Riding: 1951
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1949, 1952, 1953, 1959

Cheyenne Frontier Days / Cheyenne, WY
All-Around: 1953
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1948, 1953

Deadwood Days of ’76 Rodeo / Deadwood, SD
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1953

Ellensburg Rodeo / Ellensburg, WA
All-Around: 1954
Bareback Riding: 1950,1952
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1948, 1949, 1954

Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo / Fort Worth, TX
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1951, 1956

Grand National Stock Show & Rodeo / San Francisco, CA
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1955

Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo / Guymon, OK
All-Around: 1953
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1953

Iowa’s Championship Rodeo / Sidney, IA
All-Around: 1957
Bareback Riding: 1954, 1955
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1950

La Fiesta de los Vaqueros Rodeo / Tucson, AZ
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1955

National Western Stock Show & Rodeo / Denver, CO
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1951, 1952, 1957

Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo / Ogden, UT
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1953

Pendleton Round-Up / Pendleton, OR
Bareback Riding: 1950 (tie), 1951
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1959

Red Bluff Round-Up / Red Bluff, CA
All-Around: 1954
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1954, 1959

Reno Rodeo / Reno, NV
All-Around: 1952, 1953, 1956
Bull Riding: 1953
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1951 (tie), 1952, 1953 (tie), 1954, 1956

Rowell Ranch Rodeo / Hayward, CA
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1959

San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo / San Antonio, TX
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1953, 1957

Snake River Stampede / Nampa, ID
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1955